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The Spectacle Blog
The world’s greatest gambler was Lady Godiva. She put everything she had on a horse. But John Elway deserves honorable mention for gambling the Denver Bronco’s future on the 36 year-old arm and neck of Peyton Manning.
You never know how these things will turn out. But the Denver Broncos may well have traded their future for Peyton Manning’s past. What a spectacular past it is. But a past withal. Before Manning straps on Bronco pads for the first time he’ll be a 36-year-old quarterback with a dodgy neck and a season’s worth of ring-rust to work off. And Tim Tebow, different but wildly promising, will almost certainly fulfill that promise elsewhere.
Tebow has some traditional quarterback skills to learn to go along with what he alone can do. He appears to have the focus and the drive to do this. Peyton has been The Best. But he’s one hit away from ownership of an Indianapolis car dealership and the permanent banquet circuit.
Too bad we can’t fast-forward and take a peek at the final year of Manning’s contract when he will be a 40-year-old, $18 million quarterback (or a civilian if his neck gives out before then) and Tebow will be 29 and, very likely, at the peak of some very interesting powers.
If Manning wins a Super Bowl or two for Denver no one there will remember today’s nervous Nellies. But if the Super Bowl rings wind up on Tebow’s fingers, perhaps for a Florida team, John Elway will have to go back to buying his own drinks in Denver Night spots.
View all comments (10) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Larry Thornberry
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/03/19/rocky-mountain-low
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Rick| 3.19.12 @ 8:40PM
Tebow isn't winning any rings. You need to be at least a 50% passer.
It's A Cunning Plan, Actually| 3.19.12 @ 10:02PM
I seem to remember a lot of know it alls like you back in the mid 1970's saying Terry Bradshaw was too stupid to succeed in the NFL. How many Super Bowl rings did the Steelers win in the mid '70s through the early '80s with Bradshaw as quarterback again? Tim Tebow will be just fine if given the chance to hone his skills somewhere else. Tim Tebow has done something not too many people are willing to do to succeed also: he put his future in the hands of God. This isn't a guarantee of Tim Tebow being a star football player, but it's a definite he will succeed in the plans God has for His life as long as he remains faithful & continues to trust God with the direction of his life. This is much more valuable than any multi-million dollar sports contract. Everything is possible with God. I know this from personal experience. I'm glad God has total control of my future instead of fallible human beings, myself included. There are things in life much more important than winning Super Bowls. The fact that Tim Tebow understands this makes him a winner already. God measures success in a much different way than we do.
W| 3.19.12 @ 10:21PM
Bradshaw had a strong arm with a quick release. He could always pass, but his first years he was in a contest with Terry Hanratty and Joe Gilliam, both good passers also, for the starting job. Once Noll settled on Bradshaw the Steelers were unbeatable. Tebow can run like Bradshaw, but does not have the arm of Bradshaw.
Bo Darville| 3.20.12 @ 9:25AM
Yeah, Bradshaw was the uber-prototype NFL qb. He was just raw as heck and needed time to develop.
Norm Klevens| 3.19.12 @ 9:48PM
Hail Mary
Kenny| 3.20.12 @ 10:23AM
Poor Brady Quinn.
A big star out of college and then a bust in Cleveland and now not given a second chance in Denver.
As an aside: To me, it seems that the NFL has never had so many high quality QBs as it does now.
Mike| 3.20.12 @ 2:53PM
Wow. I have had the opposite opinion. The NFL has a crisis, because of the lack of quality QBs.
Brian| 3.20.12 @ 4:02PM
This is a spectacularly gutsy move by John Elway and the Broncos. If Peyton Manning can play at even 80% of his past level of excellence he is still 80 times the quarterback Tim Tebow is. Tebow may pick up a ring as a backup quarterback one day, but the Denver Broncos are a considerably better team today.
If reports are true Denver is on the hook for $18 million this season, but the team can cut ties with Manning down the road and not owe him another cent if his neck injury prevents him from playing. This is an amazing deal for both sides and is a HUGE win for Denver.
Occam's Tool| 4.10.12 @ 2:34PM
I'm hoping Tim gets at LEAST 2 Rings. The guy is a nice man, and deserves it.